Page 65 of Viper

Paige squeezed her eyes shut against the sunlight hitting her face, but it was too late. She was awake. Her senses became hyperaware. She was in Troy’s bed once again. Lord help her, she was getting used to waking up next to him, with him wrapped around her.

The weight of his arm was heavy on her waist, and his body hair tickled her side. His steady breath against her neck told her he was in a deep sleep.

She wanted to let him rest, but she also had to pee. Like, bad.

Ever so carefully, she slipped out of his hold and found her T-shirt on the ground. Her panties hadn’t made it onto her body after their shower. There seemed to be no point sleeping in clothes around this man.

Heat curled between her legs and a smile touched her lips.

Fitting the shirt over her head, she stood. Maybe she’d get up and have coffee on the balcony while Troy⁠—

A hard arm hooked around her waist, yanking her back to bed. Troy pinned her to the mattress.

She gasped and swatted his shoulder. “You scared the crap out of me!”

“Can’t let you walk out of here like that, babe. Havoc slept on the couch.”

She settled her hand on his chest and made an O with her lips. “Well, I guess I should thank you then—and so should Havoc,” she added with a chuckle.

“He wouldn’t be the least bit put off by you walking out like that. But then I’d have to gouge his eyes, and I don’t want to do that before coffee.”

She laughed. “Well, I can’t have that. I’ll find my pants.”

“I hate it when you wear pants.” His sleepy eyes narrowed with displeasure. He looked so serious and disheveled her heart flip-flopped.

“I’ll take them off for you later,” she offered.

His teeth flashed. “Promise?”

“If you’re good.”

He pushed up her shirt and nipped at her breast. The heat that had settled in her belly became an inferno. “Okay, enough. Your friend is in the living room.”

“He’s a heavy sleeper. And stupid. We’re good.”

He licked her nipple. She bucked, shoving at his shoulders before she got past the point of saying no. “Troy,” she hissed.

He sighed and rolled his weight off her. “I regret offering him the couch last night.”

She shuffled off the bed and found her joggers strewn on the chair in the room. “When did he get here anyway?” she asked, as she stepped into the pants.

He rolled from the mattress, grunting as he stood. “Fuck, I went to bed too late. He came over after you fell asleep. We worked for a while and found a lead.”

He pulled her into his side and kissed her cheek before reaching for his clothes on the floor. “Let’s have some coffee and I’ll fill you in.”

After using the bathroom, she joined Troy and Havoc in the kitchen. From where she stood, she could see the bare couch with the throw pillows rearranged enough to indicate someone had slept there.

“Morning,” Havoc said. “Sorry to crash here, Paige. Hope you don’t mind.”

She smiled. “Not at all.”

“Coffee?” he offered, his warm eyes far too lively for 7:00 a.m.

“Sure, thanks.”

He grabbed a mug from the cabinet and filled it. “Cream and sugar’s on the table,” he said, handing her the mug.

Troy poured his own caffeine fix.